Why did you choose to study at Newcastle University?
As a local student, I really felt at home at Newcastle, as I love the city and felt that it would be the best place for me to further my studies. I also really wanted to do a placement year as part of my course and Newcastle University offered that, with lots of opportunities across the course to get involved in industry.
What did you love most about your time at Newcastle University?
The variety across my course. Civil Engineering covers so many different disciplines, so it was great to be able to learn about each one and decide which direction I wanted to go in. I also loved the opportunity to meet and work with so many different people, especially in my job as a Student Ambassador. Of course, I also made some great friends along the way!
What did you enjoy most about Newcastle as a city and your time at Newcastle University?
Newcastle has everything you could really want in a city as a student. It's relatively compact and walkable, whilst also just a short journey away from the coast and the countryside. I don't think you could really get bored here.
How do you feel your degree has helped you to get to where you are today?
As well as giving me the qualification and engineering knowledge required for my role, my degree helped me to build the interpersonal skills I need for the job, like teamworking and communication. It also pointed me in the direction of a career in Transport, which I hadn't really considered before university, but gained an interest in throughout my course. Most importantly, I'd say that I gained a lot of confidence through my studies and extra-curricular activities whilst at university which have enabled me to get where I am today.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
The variety! Similar to why I enjoyed studying Civil Engineering, I have found that Transport Planning is quite a diverse career with lots of different types of work, which really excites me. Though I'm only a couple months into my role, I also feel like I am making a positive difference to the world in my job.
What piece of advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a similar career?
Be open to every opportunity and happy to learn. You don't really know what you're interested in until you give it a go, so I'd really recommend doing a placement or two and seeing what it's like to apply what you’re learning at university in a job.
